Hamburger Kunsthalle

The Hamburger Kunsthalle is home to one of the most extensive collections of top-class art in all of Germany. Housed across three connected buildings, the artworks contained in the museum span 700 years of history, from early medieval paintings to contemporary sculpture.

Enjoy works from some of the biggest names in the art world, from Munch to Monet, Gauguin to Van Gogh in a permanent collection of some 700 pieces. Complementing these pieces are numerous temporary shows of cutting-edge current art and exhibitions from other parts of the collection. You can make your way around in the course of an afternoon, but art lovers will be rewarded again and again by return visits.

There is a whole wing of the Hamburger Kunsthalle dedicated to the European masters. Gaze at wonderful German Romantic paintings from luminaries such as Caspar David Friedrich, or Impressionist works by Liebermann and Renoir. In a slightly different tone, admire the ancient Roman coin and medal collection, or take in the 1379 altarpiece from St Peter's Church created by Master Bertram, a revered artist of the time.

Continue your visit in the Galerie der Gegenwart (Gallery of the Present). This cube-shaped building has a modern feel, and is home to the museum's contemporary works. These include photographs, documents of performance works and some 120,000 drawings and pieces of graphic art in the Department of Prints and Drawings.

The Hamburger Kunsthalle is located near the central train station. The expansive museum is a very pleasant environment in which to enjoy these masterworks and it is rarely crowded (apart from the period immediately following the opening of a new show). To get here, take the Spitalerstrasse/City exit from the station, turn right and then cross the road. There is a fee to enter the museum.